Garcinol acts as an antineoplastic agent in human gastric cancer by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide; however, treatment options other than surgery remain limited. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has the potential to suppress of gastric tumorigenesis. Garcinol has been reported to exert inhibitory effects on the progression of numerous carcinomas. However, its effects in GC remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of garcinol on the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of gastric carcinoma cells and then to explore the underlying mechanisms. Garcinol significantly decreased the proliferation and invasion of GC cells and increased apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the expression of AKT(p-Thr308), cyclin D1, Bcl-2, BAX, matrix metalloprotease (MMP-2) and MMP-9 in HGC-27 cells following treatment with garcinol. The results obtained in the present study suggested that garcinol may inhibit gastric tumorigenesis by suppressing the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.